Dorset Theatre Festival's SUMMER STARS CELEBRATION to Honor Playwright Theresa Rebeck

Dorset Theatre Festival is celebrating its 40th Anniversary Season on June 25 at 6:30 pm with a Summer Stars Celebration: an enchanted evening of entertainment and partying under the stars, with the stars.

This gala will take place at The Old Gray Barn, 1582 VT Route 30, Rupert. Tickets are $170 each and may be purchased online at dorsettheatrefestival.org or by calling the box office at (802) 867-2223 ex. 2.

"Dorset Theatre Festival's 40-year history has been an amazing ride. This summer, the Festival continues to both foster new voices and produce contemporary hits. All eyes are upon us, including those of The Boston Globe and The New York Times. We're looking forward to this season, but most of all, we're proud of the community support we've engendered and how much we've built over the past four decades to bring quality theatre to Southern Vermont audiences," says Board President Patricia Nelson.

Dorset Theatre Festival Playwright-in-Residence Theresa Rebeck, whose world premiere Downstairs, starring Tim and Tyne Daly, will open this summer's Festival from June 22-July 8, will be honored at this Summer Stars Celebration.

Theresa Rebeck is a widely-produced playwright throughout the United States and abroad and the author of three novels: Three Girls and Their Brother, Twelve Rooms With A View, and I'm Glad About You. For television, Theresa has written for Dream On, Brooklyn Bridge, L.A. Law, American Dreamer, Maximum Bob, First Wave, and Third Watch and is the creator of the NBC drama Smash. Her produced feature films include Harriet the Spy, Gossip, and the independent features Sunday on the Rocks and Seducing Charlie Barker, which is an adaptation of her play, The Scene.

"Theresa Rebeck is one of the fiercest women and artists I know, and she brings her laser-like wit and perspective to all she writes. Dorset Theatre Festival is thrilled to have an ongoing relationship with Theresa and to open our 40th anniversary season with the world premiere of Downstairs, a piece crafted specifically for Tim and Tyne Daly," says Artistic Director Dina Janis.

Theatre lovers are invited to join Dorset Theatre Festival stars past and present at this celebration of theatre in Southern Vermont. Special guests include Tim Daly (Madam Secretary), Tyne Daly (Cagney & Lacey), Judd Hirsch (Taxi), and Michael Cristofer (Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning playwright).

Admission to the Summer Stars Celebration includes dinner by Hub's Catering Company and Nuns of New Skete cheesecake for dessert, drinks, Rebeck, and revelries. Entertainment for the evening includes a special performance by Tony Award-winning composer Adam Guettel, who will perform selections from his new musical, and music from Burlington favorites Brett Hughes & The Honky Tonk Crowd.

"We hope our new audience members will become theatre lovers after this season. We're excited for them to join our treasured subscriber base and the vibrant community of artists we bring to Dorset Theatre Festival each summer to create this magic we call theatre. That's really what we're celebrating at this gala: the future of theatre," says Board Vice President Deborah Riemer.

In conjunction with the Summer Stars Celebration, Dorset Theatre Festival is also hosting an online auction beginning June 5. Once-in-a-lifetime experiences up for bid include a set tour of Madam Secretary and a private flight piloted by Treat Williams. The auction is hosted at biddingforgood.com/summerstarscelebration.

Dorset Theatre Festival, sponsored for its 40th season by Manchester Designer Outlets, creates bold and innovative theatre that engages a diverse, multi-generational community: enlightening, entertaining, and inspiring its audience through the celebration of great plays produced with the highest degree of artistry.

Dorset Theatre Festival's 2017 mainstage summer season includes Downstairs by Theresa Rebeck, running June 22-July 8; Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery, running July 13-29; The Legend of Georgia McBride by Matthew Lopez, running August 3-19; and American Buffalo by David Mamet, running August 24-September 2. All performances take place at the Dorset Playhouse, 104 Cheney Road, Dorset, VT.

Single tickets and subscriptions for the 2017 Summer Season are now on sale. The box office may be reached by calling (802) 867-2223 ex. 2 Monday through Thursday from 12-4 pm. For more information, or to purchase tickets and subscriptions online, visit Dorset Theatre Festival's website at dorsettheatrefestival.org.

Artwork by Dorset Theatre Festival Board Chair Constance Beaty.

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